REI Revelcloud Jacket

[Art Tyszka]

I actually liked a lot about this jacket, but I ended up returning it to REI for one simple reason – it didn't keep me warm.

The fit and quality is excellent, I especially like the breast pocket for a map, iPod or anything I want to keep handy. The fabric seems very durable and it's well made. I have no doubt it would have held up for years.

Maybe it's just my body chemistry, and I'm not normally cold, I'm a warm sleeper, but this jacket didn't provide me with enough insulation unless I was moving. Sitting around camp in the 40's with 2 synthetic base layers under it, I wasn't warm.

Your mileage may vary, but I ended up returning it and bought a down jacket that feels like a furnace when I put it on.

[Joshua Abel]

I knew I wanted a "down hoodie" style of light jacket and somehow reluctantly bought the REI Revelcloud because it simply fit better than the competitors. For reference I'm 6'4" and 190lbs and finding any sort of clothing with a cut that fits me (long slim torso & long arms) well can be somewhat of a hassle. I compared the REI Revelcloud to the Patagonia Nano Puff & Patagonia Down Sweater and I really wanted to like the Patagonia jackets as I own quite a bit of their stuff and really like it. I tried on all 3 jackets for about 30 minutes one after the other, moving around in the store looking like a crazy person. The REI Revelcloud just fit better (nice length in the sleeves) and it was on sale for $109 while the 2 Patagonia jackets were still right around $200 each on sale. I just couldn't bring myself to spend double the money on a jacket that didn't fit as comfortably as the REI Revelcloud. So I reluctantly bought the REI Revelcloud assuming I'd be back to return it within a couple days or week because it surely wouldn't be as nice as the Patagonia jackets.

Well, here I am a year later absolutely in love with the REI Revelcloud. This for me really is one of those golden pieces of gear. I bring it with summer camping as one of those "just in case" layers and also bring it winter camping as a light layer to put on in the morning while I make coffee in my tent and layer under other shells if need be. I find myself using it all the time and a variety of conditions. It is amazingly windproof, I've worn it with just a t-shirt underneath down to the 40F's and with a decent wind and remained comfortable, I've taken the jacket to even lower temps (0F) with some decent base layers also. My size large weighs in at 12.2oz and packs down to about a softball.

The REI Revelcloud has also become a part of my sleep system when I pair it with my Therm-a-rest 8L fleece lined stuff sack. I've tried a number of pillow setups, literally a dozen or so and none worked for me except a full on reduced size pillow. The REI Revelcloud inside the Therma-a-rest pillow sack provides the perfect amount of firmness in a pillow that I'm use to and provides a great night sleep. Bonus is that I usually carry the jacket anyways so the pillow stuff sack is only an additional 2oz.

I bought this jacket really solely based upon fit & comfort, I really didn't know much about it from a technical standpoint. I started researching jackets later and was really amazed to find out that this jacket was made with a Pertex Quantum shell and Primaloft ECO insulation which upon further research is found in jackets more than double or even triple it's price. The REI Revelcloud jacket seems to be often found on sale for around $100 and I love mine so much I'm thinking of picking up a second one just in case. My only regret with this jacket is not buying the hoodie version as it appears to be no longer available.

[Author]

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